Natural desiccated thyroid (NDT) is also used to treat hypothyroidism.
For some people, NDTs work better than levothyroxine.
Many people prefer NDTs because they are considered more natural.
Illustration by Katie K for Verywell Health
Brand names of NDTs includeArmourand Nature-Throid.
Usually, people start thyroid hormone therapy by taking a low dose and gradually increasing it.
If you’re prescribed levothyroxine, your provider will tell you how much to take.
Get our printable guide for your next healthcare provider’s appointment to help you ask the right questions.
Still, it’s possible to take too much levothyroxine by accident.
You may also gain weight.
Get our printable guide for your next healthcare provider’s appointment to help you ask the right questions.
Sometimes, it takes trial and error to get your dosage just right.
Prescribing mistakes can happen as well.
This is sometimes the case when your medication is produced by several different manufacturers.
For example, Tirosint liquid gel caps and Tirosint-SOL liquid levothyroxine are absorbed better than levothyroxine in tablet form.
This is why close monitoring is important.
you gotta be consistent with when and how you take your thyroid medication to manage your condition effectively.
For example, changing your diet can affect how well your body absorbs thyroid hormone medication.
Some of these supplements contain thyroid hormones from animals.
Too much iodine, in particular, can overstimulate your thyroid and trigger hyperthyroidism.
Hashimoto’s Disease
Medical conditions can also lead you to have too much levothyroxine in your body.
Taking your thyroid hormone replacement medication when your thyroid is in hashitoxicosis can temporarily cause symptoms of hyperthyroidism.
Pregnancy
You might have too much levothyroxine in your body if you’ve recently been pregnant.
During pregnancy, your need for thyroid hormone increases.
You may need to be prescribed a higher dose of medication than you usually take during this time.
However, your need for thyroid hormone decreases once you give birth.
A Word From Verywell
Thyroid medication dosing is weight-based.
They can do tests to check your thyroid levels and figure out if youre being overmedicated.
If your provider determines that you are taking too much levothyroxine, they will reassess your treatment plan.
They might advise you to change your diet if it’s contributing to thyroid overmedication.
Your provider might also change your medication or adjust your dose.
Summary
There are a few reasons you could end up taking too much levothyroxine.
Certain health conditions and lifestyle changes can also make an overdose of levothyroxine more likely to happen.
Being overmedicated with thyroid hormone replacement drugs typically is uncomfortable but rarely dangerous.
There is no single recommended dosage for levothyroxine because each person’s body works differently.
Over time, their dose will likely need to be adjusted to meet their individual needs.
There are many risks of taking too much levothyroxine.
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